The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-17
Some Freaks Of Nature.

Ara SOule, of Grant. Mimi. noticed
that one of his favOrite hens had ceased
laying eggs. but was growing remark
ably large. Finally. after attaining an
astonishing size the hen died, and Mr..
Soule was curious enough to hold post
mortem examination. He cut the fowl
open and was somewhat astonished when
four well-developed chickens popped out
and began strutting around the barn
yard. He supposes that some trouble
with the hens organization had stopped
the egress of the eggs and that the nat
ural heat of her body incubated the
chicken germs.
The wife of Mr.. Hey. of Americas.
Ga. wears a handsome breastpin which
was made out of a petrified strawberry
which grew ON her husbands farm. The
berry is beautifully colored resembling
a bright ruby, and is very hard. 1t
weighs about two ounces and glistens i'll
the light like a ball of fire.
In Zapothlan. Mexico. two hunters re-
Gently discov cred a beautiful grottO 800
wards long and 1870 wide. The grottO Is
formed of quartz and is adorned with the
most beautiful stalactites and stalag-
mites, which glitter like pearls when the
light falls upon them. The intiltratiOns
have formed exquisite pillars and col
lonnades thirty yards in height. In the
center of the grotto are two artificial
reservoirs filled with clear and very cold
water. On the floor were found MANY
petrified skulls and bones, which leads
to the belief that the place was once used
as temple for human sacrifice by the
ancient Mexicans.
In some respects the recent earthquake
in the Southwest was GOdsend To the
people. They had suffered severely from
drought AID had for a long time endeav-
ored to secure water from artesan wells.
On the day of the seismic disturbance
the earth parted in the hills. almost i'm
the very spot where the wells had been
dug. and two streams of cold clear water
bursts forth. The water is still flowing
and the supply seems inexhaustible-
Mrs. Rosanna Dennis. of Tiffin. O..
died of dropsy seventeen years ago.
and her body, which was disnterred the
other day. was found To- he thoroughly
petritied. with the exception of the feet.
Ii was ST. heavy that ten men were re-
quired To move 1t. \ piece Clipped from
the body resembled flinty limestone
The petrified body of human being
was found on the farm of Martin Ed
wards, near Windsor, ILL.,. in a ditch last
week. The body Is that Of "A short.
fieshy person, and Is supposed To be that
of an ancient mound builder. Ii is very
h;iru anu exactly Ike SOapStone. The
head Is long and narrow, the forehead
high and prominent, with high cheek
bones. square chin and a small neck.
The body was broken off at the knees.
the lower limbs being missing. Its total
length. to the knees. is two feet nine
inches, and its weight is about 40 pounds
There is sink-hole on the line of the
Carthage and Adirondack Railroad, near
Harrisville, n. V. into which ton after
L n n
to have it disappear from sight. \ short
time ago the railroad employees sue
ceeded in filling it up to level with the
surrounding country, but when a couple
of cars were pushed over it they sank at
once in eighteen feet of water and
brakeman narrowly escaped drowning.
Altogether 800 carloads of gravel have
been thrown into the hole. and the rail-
road people now think that it Is bottom
less.